5:50 PM,
Jul. 13, 2013

Eli Lilly and Co. said it will test its experimental Alzheimer's drug in patients with early stages of the disease.

Written by

Drew Armstrong
Bloomberg News

Eli Lilly and Co. said it will test its experimental Alzheimer's drug in patients with early stages of the disease after the medicine failed to slow the condition in more advanced patients.

The trial of 2,100 patients, called Expedition III, will use new measures of cognitive function, such as the ability to do tasks like cooking or driving, or remembering words after a delay. It's meant as a more-targeted, more-sensitive trial than two earlier ones that had a wider range of patients, said Eric Siemers, a senior medical director at Indianapolis-based Lilly.